1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pneumatic tire, more particularly to a tire shoulder having a specific configuration being capable of improving wandering performance.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to prevent wandering of a vehicle during running on rutted roads, countermeasures taken on the pneumatic tires especially for heavy duty vehicles are providing axial cuts or sipes in the tread shoulder to decrease the rigidity, and rounding the tire shoulder with a relatively large radius to decrease the camber thrust.
When the axial sipes are provided, however, the tread rubber is liable to be torn off at the tread edge, and uneven wear is liable to occur along the sipes. These drawbacks are especially remarkable in case of heavy duty radial tires. When the tire shoulder is rounded by a relatively large radius, the ground contacting area decreases, and running performance such as road grip, cornering performance and the like are liable to deteriorate.